Beanies, Bobbysox, and Body Piercing: A History of Student Life at Ball State

This brief look at student life begins with activities and classes from the early days when residents of Indiana were not charged tuition fees, but instead paid a $2.50 library fee. Customs included the wearing of beanies by freshmen, no smoking on campus, memorizing school yells, and "callers" who left by 10:30 p.m. The library consisted of 15,000 books and the required suit for all women's classes in the Physical Education Department was "a white middy with short sleeves, black serge bloomers, black stockings and high white tennis shoes."

As the school grew, freshmen stopped wearing beanies, fees rose, and student hangouts changed. Many activities, such as homecoming, were established and continue until today while others, such as the leaf rake, were left behind after a few years. The school gradually developed from a small teachers college to a large university with a diverse student body and faculty.